The Hearth and the Salamander
1. What do firemen do in the world of Fahrenheit 451?
In the world of Farenheit 451, the firemen find places where people are hiding books, and burn them. The firemen answer the alarm swiftly, burn EVERYTHING, and then go back to the house and stay alert for other alams. (ashley)

2. What are the two professional symbols that Montag wears?
Montag wears two professional symbols, which are the phoenix and the salamander. They both mean rebirth. (ashley)

3. Who does Montag run into on his way home?
Montag ruuns into a 17 year old girl named Clarisse McClellan, which is his neighbor. After they meet everyday, Montag begins to like this girl. When he figures out that she might have gotten run over by a car, his whole life begins to fall apart. (ashley)

4. What is etched on Montag’s igniter?
On Guy Montag's igniter, there are two moonstones looking at him in the light of his fire. They were buried in a creek of clear water, which the life of the world ran in. (ashley)

5. What did Mildred remember of the night before? Or what did she pretend to remember?
Mildred overdosed on pills and got sent to the hospital. She doesn't remember any of this, and assumes she got hungover from a party. Montag adds that a few people came. (yiyi)

6. Explain Montag’s television. What does Mildred want for the television that Montag claims they cannot afford?
Montag's television is often described in the book as another "wall". Its a "wall-TV" They have three already, and it costs two thousands dollars (one third of Montag's yearly payment) (yiyi)

7. What does Clarisse rub under her chin? Why?
Clarisse rubs a sunflower under her chin. If the sunflower pollen sticks to her chin, it means that she is in love. The pollen sticks to her chin, but not to Montag's. (yiyi)

8. According to Clarisse, how is Montag “not like the others”?
Most firemen ignore Clarisse and pretend she is not there, or think of her as a freak. They usually walk away from her and avoid her. They never listen to what she says or stick around and talk with her. However, Montag listens to Clarisse and walks with her. Also, he isn't frightning like the other firemen that she have met. He tries doing the things Clarisse tells him to do. He doesn't ignore her or think of her as a mental freak. (yiyi)

9. Describe the Mechanical Hound.
The Mechanical Hound is a robot sort of thing that was built to kill. The book describes it as a creature with eight legs like an insect and with a proboscis that has a needle used to inject "massive amounts of morphine or procaine". It always captures and kills whatever it is ordered to kill and seems to take a dislike to Montag. (yiyi)

10. How did Montag escape the Hound and get to the upper level of the firehouse?
Montag backed up into the pole in the firehouse and slid upwards onto the upper level. (yiyi)

11. What is Montag’s theory on why the Hound reacted the way it did?
Montag believes that someone had tinkered with the combination locks in the Hound's memory and changed something like the balance of amino acids in the memory so that the Hound reacts violently towards Montag. Baisically, he thinks that someone ordered or programmed the Hound to show hostility to him. (yiyi)

12. How many times before had the Hound reacted this way toward Montag?
The Hound has shown hostility twice before in the last month toward Montag (yiyi)

13. Why does Clarisse find it odd that people find her to be antisocial?
Clarisse finds it odd that people find her to be antisocial becuase she talks a lot. She asks a lot of questions and wonders about things that "nobody else wonders" about. She likes to talk, instead of spend her time doing things like playing basketball or working out. She likes to speculate about the world around her, which people find wierd. In addition, she doesn't join in on the "normal" activities that kids her age do in the world of Fahrenheit 451. (yiyi)

14. Name one thing that Clarisse talks about that is different today than in the past.
Kids these days don't go to theme parks to smash cars. Or atleast I hope not. (yiyi)

15. What did the radio in the firehouse say?
The radio said, "...war may be declared any hour. This country stands ready to defend its..." (sarah)

16. What happens to people that try to fool the government?
As Captain Beatty mentioned when telling Montag what happened to an owner of a library they burnt, people who try to fool the government are considered insane and taken to an asylum. (sarah)

17. What is the history of Firemen of America?
The Firemen of America started around the Civil War. THen, Radios, TV's, and movies became more popular, and few people preferred books.As the population grows, books grow shorter. Later, newspaper articles are cut to a few lines, school is shortened,necessary subjects gradually neglected, and pleasure became the center of their lives. Books became pointless and a waste of time. (sarah)

18. What was different at Mrs. Blake’s? What did Montag dislike about the way things were being done?
Since Mrs. Blake was calm and not protesting, only saying "you can't have my books," Montag sensed something different about her. When she refused to leave the house and wanted to die with the books, Montag offered to let her come with him. She refused, and died in the fire. (sarah)

19. What does Montag do with the book that lands in his hand?
Montag keeps the book a secret so he will not be punished for having possession of a book. (sarah)

20. What does Beatty say to Mrs. Blake about the books?
Beatty says that none of the books agree, and the people in them have never lived, trying to get her to be okay with them destroying the books. (sarah)

21. What piece of information does Beatty share with Montag that refers back to something Mrs. Blake had said?
Montag mentions Mrs. Blake saying something about "Master Ridley" and "play the man". Those were the last words of Latimer as he and Master Kidely were being burned alive with their books. (ashley)

22. What does Mildred say about Clarisse to Montag?
Mildred told Montag that Clarisse was hit by a car, and it tore his life apart. (sarah)

23. What did Montag imagine being outside his window?
The eight-legged hound from the fire station (Zack)

24. Why does Montag not want to go to work anymore? What are some revelations he has had?
Guy claimed at one point he had an awful feeling of destroying things and can't make up his min on whether or not he should go to the firehouse. Plus, he now understands books are evil and the Clarisse is right nobody thinks anymore, and that free thought isn't all bad. Not to mention that everyone focusing on the present and near future benefits nobody in society. (Zack)

25. What does Mildred find under Montag’s pillow?
A book that Guy's hand [not him exactly] took from one of the night runs (Zack)

26. What word became a swear word?
The word "intellectual" (Zack)

27. Why does society lower the kindergarten age year after year?
So free thought if harder to come buy; if they are practiclly taking them from the cradle home enviornments won't have as much affect on the teachings the child is given in school. Also, the child will have less yen for a book or any other outlawed action. (Zack)

28. According to Captain Beatty, if you don’t want a man unhappy politically, what do you do?
Don't give that man two sides to chose from in politics (Zack)

29. What does Beatty say about firemen taking books?
They don't need books and that they dont have any, also that any man is insane if they think they can fool the government and the fireman. (Zack)

30. According to Clarisse’s uncle, why did the architects get rid of front porches?
They "rationalized" by saying they didn't look well, but her uncle says the real reason is because the goverenment doesn't want people sitting around doing nothing and talking. (Zack)

The Sieve and the Sand
1. What does Mildred think is at the door? What is at the door?
Mildred thinks there is a dog at teh door, but really it is the mechanical hound which is tracking Montag. (ashley)

2. What is Montag talking about when he says he saw a snake?
He is talking about the time when Mildred took an overdose and the men came to overdose her stomach. Montag sees the snake as a symbol of her depression that she is trying to deny. This is why Montag also believes they need books- to find the answer to why their lives are so empty. (ashley)

3. What does Montag remember when he is wondering where to get a teacher?
He remembers meeting a man in the park about a year ago, and then he realizes that he has been thinking about it a lot lately. (ashley)

4. Who is the English Professor?
The English professor is Professor Faber, who used to work at an english college. (ashley)

5. Why did the last liberal arts college shut down?
The literal arts college closed because thay didn't have enough students, and no one was giving the college money. (ashley)

6. When Faber was about to leave Montag, he said some things. What did Montag think he was reciting?
Montag thought Faber was reciting some "rhymless poetry." (ashley)

7. What does Faber mean by, “I don’t talk things, sir. I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I’m alive” (75)?
In Montag's world, people are very superficial; they don't care deeply about anything, but Faber, on the other hand, thinks very deeply about everything, andwhat those things mean. (ashley)

8. What are some of the books that Montag asks Faber about?

Montag asks Faber about the Bible and books from foreign counties. (yiyi)

9. Why is Faber afraid to ask?

Faber was scared that Montag had actually come to conclude that Faber did indeed hide books in his house and convict him of the crime and burn his house. Faber was suspicious of Montag's kindly manner because of this. (yiyi)

10. While Montag is on the train what does he remember about when he was a child?

Montag remembered the time when he was young, and he and his older cousin were at the beach. His older cousin told him that he would give little Montag a dime if he could fill a seive with sand. Back then, Montag wasn't very smart and thought that he could. He tried to pour the sand through and realized that all the sand fell through the seive, no matter how fast he poured it. (yiyi)

11. Why is he trying to remember the Bible?

It is most likely the last copy of the Bible in the world. Also, he will hand it to Beatty soon so he wants to memorize it before he loses it forever. (yiyi)

12. What is causing Montag to have a difficult time reading the Bible?

Montag has a hard time concentrating due to all the sounds around him like speeding cars. (yiyi)

13. How does Montag begin to behave? What is the reaction from the other riders?

Montag begins yelling at the other riders, yelling "Denham's Dentriface!" at them. The other riders think he is crazy. (yiyi)


14. Whom does Montag visit?
Montag visits Professor Faber. (yiyi)

15. How is Professor Faber described?
Professor Faber is described as looking like he hadn't been out of the house for many years. He was pale, with white hair and white in his blue eyes. (sarah)

16. What are the three qualities that Faber says are needed?
Faber says that quality of information, leisure to digest it, and the right to carry out actions based on what was learned from the first two are necessary. (sarah)


17. What idea did Montag have?
Montag had the idea for him to steal books and together, he and Faber would print out more copies. (sarah)

18. What does Montag do to the Bible to try to get Faber to agree to help?
To get Faber to help him, Montag rips and crumples up the Bible. He also threatens to burn Faber. (sarah)

19. What does Faber give Montag to help him out with his meeting with Beatty?
Faber gives Montag a small metal green object to put in his ear. Faber has his own. With them on, they can communicate at any distance. (sarah)

20. Describe the show that Mildred and her friends are watching.
The White Clown is an unrealistic show that consists of blue fish eating red fish, a woman smiling at the same time as drinking orange juice, and a dramatic car crash. (sarah)

21. How did the women vote? What did they use for criteria when voting for president?
Women voted entirely on appearance and social stature. They mentioned President Noble was one of the best looking presidents they have ever seen and that candidate Hoag was a fat, shy, dorky man that had no chance of winning simply because of his external characteristics. (Zack)

22. What does Montag do after he can’t take the women anymore?
He begins to read poetry, which apparently calms him; this was after he scolds the women for judgmental actions for none of them know the man themselves. (Zack)

23. What is the name of the poem Montag reads?
The title was “Dover Beach”(Zack)

24. What is Mrs. Phelps’s reaction to the poem?
Mrs. Phelps at the end of Dover beach was sent into tears.(Zack)

25. What does Montag do with the book after he has read the poem?
After he finished reading the poem he dumped the book into the wall incinerator.(Zack)

26. What does Beatty say when he sees Montag in the firehouse?
He calls him a fool for possessing a book, then congratulates him on returning to the firehouse, concluded by an invitation to a poker game.(Zack)

27. According to Beatty, why does he quote from the books that Montag clings to?
Beatty claims that quoting means he has believed in the phrase “Knowledge is power” and he’s ready to go off and destroy everything the government has worked for.(Zack)

28. What house do the firemen go to?
At the very end of the section the firemen pull up to Guy Montag’s house, for a burning. (Zack)

Burning Bright
1. What hint does Captain Beatty say he sent to Montag that he must not have picked up?
Beatty sent the mechanical hound to Montag's house as a hint that he was watching him. (ashley)

2. What does Mildred have in her hand when she walks out of the house?
She has her suitcase in her hand, and drives off in a taxi. (ashley)

3. What does Montag suspect Mildred of doing?
Montag suspects that Mildred called the fire department. (ashley)

4. What does Beatty say is the real beauty of fire?
Beatty says that fire erases all worries and responsibilities. (ashley)

5. What does Beatty say to Montag as he is finishing burning the house?
He tells him that he is under arrest. (ashley)

6. Who called in the alarm?
Mildred's friends called in the alarm, but Beatty said they ignored it. Then Mildred called soon after, and the firemen decided to go check it out. (ashley)

7. What did Beatty do to Montag?
Beatty hit Montag on the head because when Beatty tried to talk to him, Montag didn't respond. He was listening to Faber speaking to him via "the green bullet." (ashley)

8. What happened to the “green bullet” radio that Faber gave to Montag?
After Beatty hit montag, the radio flew out of his hands and landed on the ground. Beatty picked it up and could hear Faber talking to Montag. (ashley)

9. What does Beatty say he will do with the radio?
Beatty said that he will trace it and "drop in" on faver (yiyi)

10. What did Montag do to Beatty?
Montag burned Beatty. (yiyi)

11. Why was Montag having a hard time getting away?
One of Montag's legs were anaesthetized. (yiyi)

12. What does Montag find in his old garden?
Montag finds four books left, the ones that Millie had not found. (yiyi)

13. Montag thinks to himself that Captain Beatty probably wanted to do what?
Montag thinks to himself that Captain Beatty probably wanted to commit suicide, he probably wanted to die. (yiyi)

14. Why is Montag having a difficult time getting up?
Montag was crying because Beatty had wanted to die; becuase Beatty did not try to save himself. In addition, his bad leg (broken and numbed) didn't want to listen to him. (yiyi)

15. What does Montag hear in the Seashell?
Montag hears himself as a criminal, being hunted on the seashell. The seashell says "watch for a man running". He hears about the hound being let down to sniff out his tracks. (yiyi)

16. What does Faber say there are a lot of along the railroad tracks?
Faber tells Montag to follow the railroad tracks because nobody uses them anymore and they lead to outside the country where he will be safe. There will be hobo camps along the tracks so Montag will have shelter too. (yiyi)

17. Where does Faber say he is going? Why is he going there?
Faber says he is leaving on the 5:00 am bus to meet a retired printer .

18. Why does Montag tell Faber to burn the bed spread and the chair?
Montag tells Faber to burn the bed spread and chair because he left his scent on them and didn't want to Hound to find Faber.

19. What does Montag watch on the parlor walls?
Montag and Faber see the update on the search for Montag on the parlor walls. They hear that a Hound from anouther district has been brought in.

20. What did Montag do when he got to the river?
When Montag reached the river, he threw himself in and let himself drift along, using the water to cover up his scent.

21. What does Montag think of when he smells the hay?
When Montag smells the hay, he thought of sleeping in fresh hay, waking up and going dowstairs, and finding a glass of milk, apples, and pears at the bottom.

22. What does Montag see?
He gets up out of the river and walks along railroad tracks before turnign into a forest. After walking for a while in the woods, he stumbles across a campfire with many men huddled around it.

23. What do the men offer Montag?
The men offer Montag some coffee and he accepts gratefully.

24. What is the name of the man that is talking to Montag?
His name is Granger (Zack)

25. What is the colorless fluid in the small bottle supposed to do?
Change the perspiration of you body index, in other words change your scent so the hound cannot find him (Zack)

26. Why is the chase still going on if they have lost Montag?
They cannot admit to the public they had lost him, so they were faking it. (Zack)

27. What does Montag see in the portable viewer?
The helicopters scanning the city continuing to look for him (Zack)

28. Where is Montag keeping the Book of Ecclesiastes?
Montag originally had the book along with revelations, in Granger’s hideout now it’s completely stored in his memory with Simmons’ “method". (Zack)

29. What does Granger think their job is?
Granger says they have a horrible job and it’s to wait until the war starts and just as quickly end. (Zack)

30. What does Montag see happening in the city?
He sees bombs rain on the city and the war start and finish in an instant.(Zack)

31. What other book does Montag realize he has remembered?
The book of Revelations (Zack)

32. What does Granger compare man to?
A Phoenix (Zack)